Full rupture of the Leech River Fault, a fault that cuts southern Vancouver Island and extends beneath Greater Victoria. Based on current science, this magnitude 7.3 earthquake scenario represents the strongest ground shaking event that could strike the region, and is one of Greater Victoria’s most severe events.

This cartographic dataset of areas of importance for spring herring in the Magdalen Islands was produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Magdalen Islands ZIP Committee, as part of the work to characterize the Magdalen Islands Lagoons Marine Refuge. The initiative aimed to document fishermen's ecological knowledge of spring herring, including good fishing areas and spawning grounds around the archipelago. The data comes from interviews conducted between January and April 2024 with the most experienced fishermen in the archipelago. During the interviews, participants identified directly on digital maps the locations associated with four types of observations made throughout their careers: • Question 8 — Good fishing sites; • Question 9 — Other observations of high concentrations of the resource; • Question 13a — Spawning areas and; • Question 13b — Other observations of signs of spawning. To facilitate temporal contextualization, a four-period timeline (before 1996, 1996-2002, 2003-2006, and 2007-2021) was used. The final product is a GeoPackage (.gpkg) containing 16 vector layers composed of four layers per observation type, each corresponding to one of the defined time periods. The polygons were classified according to the number of fishermen who reported each location, making it possible to assess the degree of overlap and the relative importance of the areas over time. The data are projected in NAD83 / MTM zone 4. For more information on the methodology and data, see Burbank et al. (2025). Additional information specific to the Magdalen Islands lagoons is presented in Grégoire et al. (2026).

The Beaufort fault in Eastern Vancouver Island is probably an active fault, near Courtenay/Comox/Cumberland. Based on current science, this fault may have ruptured in the 1946 magnitude 7.3 Vancouver Island Earthquake. This scenario represents a smaller magnitude 5.2 event.

In 1949 a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred on the Queen Charlotte Fault, off the west coast of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. This magnitude 7.7 scenario along the Queen Charlotte Fault is slightly different and closer to population centres than the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that occurred in 2012.

This is a magnitude 5.0 earthquake scenario under Lake Ontario, very close to Toronto. This fault is not known to be active but demonstrates a plausible earthquake scenario for Toronto region.

The Denali Fault spans over 200km of the Yukon Territory, and is a significant source of seismic hazard. This magnitude 7.4 earthquake scenario, centered near small communities along the Alaska Highway, visualizes the effects of a severe earthquake that could be produced by this fault.

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake scenario located directly southeast of Ladysmith Town Centre. This fault is not known to be active, but this scenario represents a small but damaging event near Ladysmith and Burleith Arm.

Magnitude 4.9 earthquake scenario along the Vedder Fault which runs northeast along Vedder Mountain. This earthquake is located about 18 km east of Abbotsford City Hall. This fault is not known to be active, but this scenario represents a small but damaging event near Abbotsford town centre.

Faults in the valleys near Ottawa could rupture and produce strong, shallow earthquakes. This magnitude 5.5 scenario visualizes the effects of such an event. It does not represent the most severe earthquake that could occur, but one that is more likely and could still cause damage.

A magnitude 5 earthquake scenario along an unnamed fault located about 15 km north-northeast of Burnaby City Hall and directly south of Mt Elsay. This fault is not known to be active, but this scenario represents a small but damaging event in the North Shore Mountains.